Chapter 70
Chapter 70
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 70
Chapter Title: Dog's Death (3)
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A road crossed the plain, with a vast forest unfurled like a folding screen behind it.
A carriage carrying Lian's group and a single prisoner was heading south.
"Let me say it one more time: the lord of Paula is in Dalisi Territory. For that bastard, this is the perfect opportunity, so he'll attack this carriage no matter what."
"W-what!? Why are you telling me this now!? If I'd known earlier, I would've rather been on the escort carriage...!"
"Sit still. Grandpa had no choice anyway."
"Kuh..."
The old wizard fidgeted restlessly, his legs trembling.
He had quickly sold information about that lord's movements to Lian.
If that got out, he wouldn't get off easy himself.
"Anyway, this situation is actually welcome for me too. If a bug gets into your room but you can't see where it is, it drives you crazy, right? That's exactly how that guy feels to me."
Wondering what kind of scheme the bastard had cooked up for revenge.
Just thinking about it made it impossible to focus on anything else.
"Ah, that bugs me so much! I can't even sleep properly at night, worrying it might crawl over me!"
"Yeah. So I'm using this chance to lure him in and finish him off for good."
"Aha. That's why you deliberately refused General Tullio's offer of an escort?"
Of course, there was a good chance they'd be suspicious of the lack of escorts.
But a lord mad with revenge wouldn't be able to pass by if he saw Lian in person.
On the other hand, escorts would prioritize keeping enemies away from Lian, so they'd just get in the way.
"Hey, wizard hunter. You don't think that lord is wandering around alone, do you? He's got over twenty knights! And you lot are just three!"
"Well, four if you count the coachman. Though he doesn't seem like much in a fight."
And they even had a magic beast with them.
A head-on fight would leave them without even bones to pick.
"Don't be ridiculous—untie my handcuffs right now! I'll cooperate with my full power!"
"No thanks. Not untying them. We both know you're lying."
"I'm not! Look me in the eyes! Do these look like the eyes of a liar!?"
The old wizard bulged his eyes and leaned forward.
Only to end up punched in the nose by Pablo's hand next to him.
"Ow! My nose! It's bleeding!"
"Quit exaggerating and behave yourself."
"Did that old man spend his whole life studying how to deceive people? He tries to scam us every chance he gets."
Pirka and Pablo silently stared at Lian at those words.
"What? Why are you all looking at me like that?"
"Huh? W-when did I...?"
"Ahem. It's nothing."
The biggest deceiver here wasn't the old wizard, but no one mentioned who it was.
"Actually, since Mandor made us some secret weapons, I'm not too worried about their numbers."
"Hey, what about the magic beast? You gonna take it out with those secret weapons too?"
"That'll depend on the situation. I do have some ideas."
The magic beast was none other than the infamous Bordia wolf from Lian's hometown.
A monster boasting a size nearly twice that of an ordinary wolf.
But he'd never heard of anyone taming and raising one as a pet.
Which meant it was using magic.
So maybe Lian already had a solution ready.
"Anyway, make the prey think it's the hunter, lure it in, and catch it for sure. That's my plan."
Lian leaned back against the carriage wall, arms crossed leisurely.
"Wait."
Then it suddenly hit him.
What would be the most fitting end for that revenge-crazed lord?
"Hey, old man."
"What? Do you need my help after all?"
"Sort of, but I'm still not untying the cuffs."
The old wizard's face lit up briefly before falling again.
"More importantly, just one question. As a former court wizard, you're well-informed about other territories, right?"
"Hmph! You got me there. What do you plan to squeeze out of me this time?"
"Just some petty gossip?"
Lian's lips curled into a sly grin.
Pablo and Pirka exchanged quiet glances and nodded.
That was definitely Lian's face when he was about to pull a scam.
* * *
On a hill near the boundary between forest and plain.
A cavalry of twenty knights overlooked the plain from the shadows of the dense woods.
Moments later.
One knight rode through the forest and arrived before them.
"My lord! A single carriage is coming down from the direction of Dalisi Fortress."
"Is it that bastard?"
"It bears the crest of the Castel royal family, so it seems likely."
There was no reason for royal blood to be traveling here.
In other words, the carriage carried a royal errand boy.
Which meant it was almost certainly Lian on a mission for the king's orders.
"But something's off."
"What?"
"Even if it's already occupied territory, it's suspicious for a carriage to be traveling alone without a single escort."
Way too fishy.
Didn't it practically look like they were begging to be attacked?
"My lord, this reeks of a trap."
"They know we're around and still send the king's errand boy without guards. Too suspicious."
"Doesn't matter. All that counts is if that bastard is in the carriage."
He had already staked his life on revenge.
Trap or not, what did it matter?
If his target was there, he'd jump into a pit of fire without hesitation.
"Tell me. Did you see him?"
"I glimpsed blond hair briefly, but I'm not sure if it was him..."
"No. If it's not certain, we'll make it certain."
Paula's lord, mad with revenge, stared down at the plain with unfocused, corpse-like eyes.
A single carriage crossing the distant plain entered his hollow gaze.
In that instant, a spark flickered in his dead eyes.
"Don't forget. Hack off his limbs if you must, but leave the head. That bastard's head is mine."
Screeeee—
Paula's lord blew a long note on the bone flute hanging from his neck.
Rooooar—
Three massive wolves napping under the trees rose and howled.
"Charge!"
The cavalry and wolf magic beasts surged toward the plain together.
Paula's lord, leading the charge, drew his sword and raised it high.
The cavalry behind him split like wings to both sides.
"Surround it from both flanks and stop the carriage first! Stay alert for enemy traps!"
Soon after, the carriage spotted them belatedly and picked up speed.
But outrunning cavalry with draft horses was impossible.
Their distance gradually closed.
Finally, through the carriage window, a blond youth of extraordinary beauty matching the rumors came into view.
"My lord! There he is! Matches the description!"
"At last! Don't let him escape no matter what!"
Before long, the carriage and cavalry ran parallel.
"Hya! Run! Faster!"
The frantic coachman whipped the reins harder, but the horses were already at max speed.
As if mocking his efforts, two spearmen knights pressed right up beside the carriage.
"Foolish! You thought you could outrun us with a carriage!?"
"Stab the wheels from both sides and flip it! When I give the signal...!"
But at that moment.
Clack—thwang!
"Hngh...!"
"N-nooo!"
Screams from horse and rider fading behind.
The knights trying to overturn the carriage tumbled instead, rolling on the ground with their horses.
Suddenly, lines with weights on both ends were wrapped around their horses' legs.
"What the...? What just happened...!?"
"No idea! Something shot out from the carriage... Ah! Look out!"
Rumble! Cha-rang!
"Uwaaak! What is this!?"
"Someone get this off...! Aaak!"
"You idiot! Don't come this way!"
This time, iron chain nets unfurled from both sides of the carriage, blocking the knights' path.
Several who couldn't evade got tangled and fell.
But that wasn't the end.
Slippery mucus sprayed from behind the carriage wheels.
Horses stepping in it slipped one after another.
"Impossible! It's a dwarf trap machine! Why is that there...!?"
"What!? What crazy crap did they rig on that carriage!?"
"Those sneaky bastards! Don't get close to the carriage! You'll trigger the traps!"
They'd anticipated traps, but not that the carriage itself was one!
Paula's cavalry hurriedly pulled back from the carriage.
At the same time, oil sprayed from behind the carriage, followed by sparks.
Whoosh!
Flames ignited the oil, creating a trail of fire along the carriage's path.
But this time, the horses merely startled briefly.
Thanks to pulling back early, no damage.
"Haha! Those weak tricks won't work on us now!"
"Target the horses and coachman. They couldn't have rigged the front."
"Yes, my lord!"
Screeeee—
Paula's lord blew the flute again.
Grrr—woof woof!
At his signal, the wolf magic beasts snarled viciously, starting to threaten.
"Uwaaa! Easy, you beasts! Whoa! Whoa!"
The carriage horses panicked and broke from the coachman's control.
The carriage veered off the road, shaking violently as if it might shatter.
"Coachman! Stop the carriage now! Our business is only with Lian!"
"Eek! P-please spare me, my lord!"
Clang! Clang!
Already chaos, and now a knight pressed against the coachman's seat, threatening with his sword.
The terrified coachman trembled but couldn't let go of the reins.
"My lord! If I really stop, you'll spare me, right!?"
"Yes! I promise!"
"For real? You promise?"
Just as the coachman gave in to the threat and betrayed his duty.
A small, pointy-eared woman poked her head through the small window connecting to the coachman's seat.
"Hey, you bastard! If you stop this carriage, you're dead by our hands!"
"Eek! Spare me!"
"Shut up and keep going! Speed up!"
But on the uneven ground, the carriage axle shook worse.
And perhaps from the excessive modifications.
The durability reached its limit, and the rear wheel fell off entirely.
Rumble! Crash!
Soon, the front wheel and coachman's seat detached too.
"Uwaaaaa! Save meee!"
The coachman's screams faded into the distance.
The remaining carriage body slid across the grass for a while.
"Kuhahaha! See! Even the goddess aids our revenge!"
The cavalry quickly surrounded the wheelless, horseless carriage.
But wary of traps from experience, they didn't approach rashly.
"My lord, we don't know what else that bastard might pull, so safely use the magic beasts here..."
"No. Those iron-chewing beasts don't know restraint. I must cut his throat myself. Just like he did to my son...!"
"Please wait, my lord! My lord!"
Paula's lord dismounted, eyes blazing with fury.
Right there was the enemy he'd hunted so long for his son...!
Clunk!
But then.
The trunk on the carriage roof popped open, and something ominous burst out from inside.
"Th-that's...!"
"Oh, goddess preserve us!"
It was an automatic ballista, the pinnacle of dwarven engineering siege weaponry.
And monstrously modified at that.